The Shield: "The New Guy" Review

There's a new member of the Strike Team, whether Vic likes it or not.

As the title promised, "The New Guy" introduced a new member to the Strike Team, and it came right in the midst of a tense situation, as Vic and company led the way into a restaurant where several people had been shot. Kevin Hiatt (Alex O'Loughlin) proved to be a man of action, who refused to take a "time out" as he put it, and went in after Vic, against his orders. But in a nice turn against expectations, Vic didn't butt heads with Hiatt, but instead was friendly with him.

Claudette is a great character who doesn't always get enough of a spotlight, but this episode showed how cunning and clever she can be, as she revealed to Hiatt that she was completely lying to Vic when she told him he had a chance to save his job through an appeals process. Her reasoning for doing so, that this would stop Vic from causing problems and fighting Hiatt's inclusion (and intended leadership), was brilliant.

Also of note was Aceveda speaking to Claudette about the massacre scene Dutch found, which she fears could bury her, if they can't solve the crime. Always thinking about image, Aceveda stressed the good PR they could get if they can solve it. It's great to finally have Claudette as captain, and this adds some nice tension to what we know is a precarious situation for her.

Most of the episode followed the Strike Team's investigation into the shooting, which turned out to be retribution against a group of gang members, called "Revolutionaries," trying to quit the life. Along the way Hiatt proves to be a surprisingly good fit with the group, except for with Shane that is, who is the most openly hostile. It was a bit too on the nose, but Shane's reaction when he came in and found Vic, Ronnie and Kevin laughing together - "Glad to see everyone's having fun. Course Lem's still dead" - said it all. And in a powerful moment, Shane openly cried in front of Vic, saying how much he missed Lem.

Claudette (CCH Pounder) with Alex O'Loughlin as "The New Guy"

What was very intriguing was the fact that Kevin was obviously quickly drawn in by Vic's no holds barred behavior, going so far as to tell Claudette that perhaps Vic has a reputation as a dirty cop only because he pretends to be one, in order to get information from criminals. It will be interesting to see whether Claudette can continue to convince Kevin that Vic is not to be trusted or not, or if she's just caused more problems for herself by giving Vic a new ally.

Meanwhile Dutch and Billings investigated what turned out to be a series of rapes, in a storyline that showed that as crude and off-putting as Billings can be, he gets serious once he has a real person to attach to. Once he saw how hurt a rape victim was, with the words "Go Home" horrifically carved into her stomach, he suddenly became very intent on stopping the person behind the attacks, in what was a well done shift from how the usually goofy character comes off.

On the down side, there were some odd moments in this episode involving Lem that got a bit heavy handed and didn't fit the tone of the show. Corrine's revelation about a dream she had about Lem was especially bizarre, and didn't seem like something from The Shield at all. Even given the different meanings she took from it versus Vic and Shane - Shane felt it might mean Lem was in a bad place, while Corrine saw it as a sign he was okay -- it was simply a strange place to go in the story. Also, Vic's desperate attempt to save a kid trying to quit the gang life was too neatly and obviously tied into his guilt over not being able to save Lem.

Overall however, this was a very strong episode that really ramped things up as far as what Vic's fate will be. Claudette is intent on Vic being gone in three weeks, but considering The Shield still has 19 episodes left to go (six more for season six, then the final 13 episodes of season seven), we're left wondering how this can be. Regardless, Vic's breakdown in the hospital at the end, as he trashed a waiting room, fueled by grief and rage, is just another reminder that Lem's death has shattered Vic and the Strike Team in a major way. We're also left with Claudette's exciting revelation that none other than Julien will be the next new member of the Strike Team. Julien is not at all the type we've come to expect for this group, so it will certainly be interesting to see how he meshes with them.